Hyderabad: A former junior court assistant of the Supreme Court has accused Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi of sexually harassing her. In a letter addressed to 22 Supreme Court judges on April 19, the victim alleged that Justice Gogoi made sexual advances on her at his residence office on October 10 and 11 last year.
In the lengthy affidavit, she alleged that she was sexually harassed by the Chief Justice of India, was sacked on speaking about it, made to apologise to Justice Gogoi’s wife, her brother-in-law was sacked and an old case revived against her husband.
The affidavit was first published by online websites on Friday, and the Supreme Court held an emergency sitting on Saturday. The victim, 35, alleged, “He hugged me around the waist and touched me all over my body with his arms and by pressing his body against mine and did not let go.”
She continued, “He told me ‘hold me’, he did not let go of me despite the fact that I froze and tried to get out of his embrace by stiffening and moving my body away.”
The victim alleged that she, her husband, a head constable with the Delhi Police, and their family underwent harassment over the past few months after she spoke about the inappropriate advances allegedly made by Justice Gogoi.
The woman served in the Supreme Court from May 1, 2014, till December 21, 2018, when, she claimed, her services were unceremoniously terminated.
The victim stated that in October 2016, one Deepak Madan, a junior court assistant in the then court of Justice Gogoi, had gone on leave. The victim was posted in Madan’s place, before Justice Gogoi became CJI. After he took over as the top judge in August 2018, the victim was posted to his residence office.
